Epstein files vindicate a survivor who reported him in the 1990s, but others are still seeking answers

By MJ Lee, Devan Cole, CNN

(CNN) — The Justice Department’s partial release of its files related to Jeffrey Epstein on Friday marked a moment of triumph for Epstein survivor Maria Farmer and her sister Annie, who have said for years that Maria had filed one of the first complaints against Epstein in the 1990s.

An FBI document released Friday included a 1996 description of a criminal complaint against Epstein related to child pornography.

While the name of the complainant is redacted in the document, Maria Farmer’s lawyer, Jennifer Freeman, confirmed on CNN that the complaint was in fact made by her client.

The “facts of complaint” part of the document says that the woman — who describes herself as a professional artist — had taken photos of her underage sisters for her own personal artwork.

“Epstein stole the photos and negatives and is believed to have sold the pictures to potential buyers,” the document reads. “Epstein at one time requested (redacted) to take pictures of young girls at swimming pools.” It continued: “Epstein is now threatening (redacted) that if she tells anyone about the photos he will burn her house down.”

Hours after the DOJ’s partial release of the Epstein files, it was not clear whether Farmer’s triumph would end up being an exception in the broader world of Epstein survivors.

Multiple sources close to the survivors told CNN described frustration as they struggled to navigate the DOJ’s public “Epstein Library” in search of information about their own abuse and cases. It was a disappointment for a group that had waited anxiously for 30 days since the passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act for the chance to search for information about their own experiences.

With the DOJ’s online search system challenging to navigate, sources said survivors had not had much luck in coming across validating information about their years-old experiences.

Epstein survivor Jess Michaels spent hours trying to find her victims’ statement and communication she had after she called the FBI tip line.

“I can’t find any of those,” she told CNN. “Is this the best that the government can do? Even an act of Congress isn’t getting us justice.”

Freeman had previously told CNN that Maria Farmer’s original complaint was one of the key documents she would be searching for when the DOJ’s Epstein files were released.

She said Friday evening that she is looking for more information from the files, including what the authorities did in response to Farmer’s complaint, when and why.

“Why didn’t they act to stop this?” Freeman said in an email to CNN.

What authorities did in response to the complaint is unclear. CNN has reached out to the FBI for comment.

The complaint, stamped September 3, 1996, underscores the fact that Epstein had been on the radar of law enforcement years before federal and state charges were brought against him in New York and Florida.

In a statement provided by the law firm representing Maria Farmer, the Epstein accuser said the FBI had “failed” her and other victims over the years.

Farmer’s sister, Annie, has previously said she was 16 when Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell abused her.

Speaking to CNN’s Jake Tapper, an emotional Annie Farmer said: “Just to see it in writing and to know that they had this document this entire time — and how many people were harmed after that date? We’ve been saying it over and over, but to see it in black and white that way has been very emotional.”

Annie Farmer was the fourth and final person who accused Epstein of abuse to testify at Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking trial.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.